At first the agency is not abstracted
or dissociated from the parent zootheistic concept, and the sun is the
mightiest animal as among many peoples, the thunder is the voice of the
bear as among different woodland tribes or the flapping of the wings of
the great ancient eagle as among the Dakota and cegiha, while lightning is
the great serpent of the sky as among the Zuni. Subsequently the zoic
concept fades, and the constant association of human intellectual
qualities engenders an anthropic concept, when the sun becomes an
anthropomorphic deity (perhaps bearing a dazzling mask, as among the
Zuni), and thunder is the rumbling of quoits pitched by the shades of
old-time giants, as among different American tribes. Eventually all the
leading agencies of nature are personified in anthropic form, and retain
the human attributes of caprice, love, and hate which are found in the
minds of the believers.
Psychotheism is born of physitheism as the anthropomorphic element in the
concept of natural agency gradually fades; but since none of the
aborigines of the United States had passed into the higher stage, the mode
of transition does not require consideration.
It is to be borne in mind that throughout the course of development of
belief, from the beginning of hecastotheism into the borderland of
psychotheism, the dominant characteristic is the vague notion of mystery.
At first the mystery pervades all things and extends in all directions,
representing an indefinite ideal world, which is the counterpart of the
real world with the addition of human qualities.
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